Whatever the firebird was looking for, it seems prepared to trust the group to deal properly with its wishes. Kia could swear that for a fleeting second she sees a crown floating over the creature's head, but the image flickers and is gone too fast for her to be sure it was anything more than a trick of the light.
The firebird lifts its wings and flies gracefully onto Arianwyn's outstretched arm, surveying the group with what seems to be approval. Its head turns towards the corridor leading southeast, seemingly suggesting that this is a good way to go.
"From darkness, light. From death, life." Arianwyn says. He walks in the indicated direction, firebird on arm.
"So, a regal avian indeed. It would seem, then, that the Queen would be an apt match for thee. Lady Chary, it would seem that the Black Prince will wax full wrath if we o'erleap him in presenting this fine feathered fellow in his stead. Pray, outline your thoughts again on how we might mollify your liege."
"Well Arianwyn, my initial plan was to waltz into the court and present the magnificent bird in the name of the Prince. However, I am thinking otherwise now. This bird is too majestic to simply give in another's name. I mean, look at the beauty...she even looks like the Queen...and how she preens happily when we mention the queen! This bird is no person's to simply give. It has already chosen.
Additionally, if we offend the Prince, I lose my living space, but it will not be the last time I have to move out of a space. If we gain favor in the eyes of the Queen, we may end up with for than just her favor. Finally, Ixu sacrificed herself today, so lets not cheapen her memory with lies. This regal bird deserves better."
"We don't even have to do that, eh, my priestly friend?" Arianwyn says to Reason. "We shall bring her back from grim death's veil, and I think this quest grows too dangerous for a small dragon."
The discussion continues as the battered Chosen follow the narrow passageway, gently lit by their own auras and the firebird.
Incongruously, they finally emerge from a broom cupboard into the Royal Halls. Chary, at least is acutely aware of how close the party are to the Black Prince's chambers.
"Now to find a lion and a witch." Arianwyn mutters to himself.
"We should be careful here. We are quite close to the Prince's quarters. Is there a way to disguise the phoenix until we can get it back to the queen?"
So far the corridors are empty, but you can hear voices approaching in the distance. Chary recognises one of them as belonging to the Black Prince. Everyone else notes the elegant tones of Lord Chelessfield laughing at some unheard joke.
Kia look s curiously at Arianwyn. "A Lion and a Witch? Is this another of you poetry references?"
"Well, it's eiter back into the broom cupboard until they pass, quickly into another chamber Or we brazen it out."
Kia sees various doors available to the group, but is somewhat aware that entering an occupied room will cause questions, bloodied as you are and carrying a dead dragon and a firebird.
Chary readies herself to approach the Prince and the lord.
Arianwyn addresses the firebird, "Now, if you would be so good as to go with this lady," he indicates Kia, "She'll talk at you, but just nod a lot and you should be fine."
He gives the bird to Kia.
Reason remains silent, but finally turns to Whiteclaw and offers to take Ixu from her.
"I shall take her to the Tower of the Lords of Light."
The firebird moves gracefully to Kia's arm as the voices draw closer.
"That man can be a little frivolous at times, but he is a good person to have with you in a fight. Now we are going to take you to somewhere safe, so just stay with me and don't worry. And try not to glow if you can. And, let's all be quiet."
She beckons to Whiteclaw and Tutavak.
"Follow my lead." Arianwyn says to Chary.
"The rest of you stay here out of sight."
He grabs Chary's hand and drags her at speed to head off the approaching nobles.
Kia, Tutavak and Whiteclaw vanish back into the storage chamber. Whether it is trying to mute itself or not, the firebird's glow is still clearly visible under the door.
Meanwhile, Chary and Arianwyn pelt towards the advancing Prince. Rounding the corner they come once more upon the Well of Night, the tell-tale ropes of the group's descent still dangling. His Highness has paused to note this somewhat unusual occurence.
He looks up as Chary approaches. "Intriguing, don't you think?"
Kia indicates to the others to find some things to stop the glow shining under the door. Cloaks or cloth or whatever to block light escaping. Meanwhile, she backs down the passageway they came up by in an effort to stop so much light being shed.
"Darling one," Arianwyn says lasciviously to Chary, "I had no idea that your liege was abroad."
He strokes her cheek, "Your pardon, Highness," he says charmingly, "This charming maid has bewitched me somewhat."
He bows languidly.
His Gracious Highness, Hander Svenk, turns a chilly eye on Arianwyn and speaks to Lord Chelessfield.
"Your late opponent, I do believe. He seems to enjoy consorting with the darker side." His gaze moves significantly towards the ropes leading to the Well of Night.
To Chary he adds, "My dear, this is a distressing lapse of taste on your part. What allure can the leader of this little faction possibly hold for you? Is he seeking to find light in the darkness, perhaps?"
Meanwhile, in the storage chamber, Kia frantically scans the cupboards and shelves for items to stuff under the door to quench the unmistakeable firebird glow.
"Your highness," Chary says distractedly, while looking up girlishly at Arianwyn, "He struck my fancy, and...well, he...distracted me from the daily tasks around the court."
She then turns to Arianwyn, "And you Arie, you said you would be discreet, but now you blurt out in front of him...I am not your maid, except when we..." Chary stops abruptly, as if she had said too much.
Finally, she continues "I don't know about light in the darkness, but my darkness seems to be enough to pique his interest. You have never begrudged me a companion. Can it be you are...taking more of an interest in me." She stares intently at the Prince before stealing a glance at Arianwyn.
Whiteclaw easily finds a stock of fur coats which she lays across the doorway. Ever resourceful when under duress, the gnoll's movements are extremely swift.
The Black Prince's eyes narrow. "You presume as much as you disemble, milady. Your choice of amour is yours to make in so far as it does not encroach upon the dignity of our household. You insult our honour with this mesalliance so proudly flaunted. However, that is not the main issue of concern. It appears that someone has been visiting our honoured guest of the demonic realms. Who could it be?"
Arianwyn becomes more pointed in his approach. Slightly.
"Light in the darkness indeed..." he says, looking down the well, "A little bird told me that there was something hidden here. A flight of fancy, no doubt."
He smiles, not pleasantly, at the Prince.
"Raven Lord, you are a bird of another sort to your predecessor. Let us understand one another plainly. It is not wise to meddle with the affairs of the Blood Royal. It is possible that you have happened upon something that is not yours to give or to receive. If you wish to continue in my favour, milady, you will indicate just where this treasure lies. I do urge you both not to waste my time with denial."
The Black Prince's manner is still arctic, but he cannot quite look Arianwyn in the eye.
Tutavak realises that Whiteclaw and Kia are adding to the glow and finds dust sheets in which they could wrap themselves.
"I understand you plainly, Your Highness," Arianwyn replies, "And yet, if I may?"
He carries on regardless, "When I was young, there was a boy who grew up surrounded by wonders, he wanted for nothing. Nothing except approval, recognition. How to get it? He would find something rare! And so he bragged how he would find the rarest of flowers, the Prytanni Primrose. And do you know? He found it! How marvellous, how fortunate. And so he hid it, thinking to present it at the moment that would allow him to outshine his peers."
Arianwyn pauses for effect, "But, oh dear, so rash, was he that he did not think to safeguard it, and so it was that all sorts of insects came upon and the flower was not to be found. How foolish would the boy look now, having found it and then lost it again!"
"It was a lucky hap that a raven found the insects and scared them off. And the raven spoke in the boy's ear and... I know not the rest of the story. A piece of whimsy. Perhaps you know more?"
Kia spots a small corner that could allow light into the corridor and backs away down the tunnel with the firebird on her arm. The bird shows some signs of alarm at the prospect of a return to the Well of Night.
At the entrance to the Well, Arianwyn's tale is heard in silence. The Black Prince nods slowly.
"An amusing fancy, to be sure. Milady, your chosen consort may have more worth than first appeared. Mayhap your Raven may guard you from the harsh fate that befell the boy he spoke of. Poor boy. What could he do? His honour demanded that he grant the raven the right to take credit for the flower, is that not so? I believe the raven explained the boy's great deed in the finding of the flower as well. But who is to say? It is a tale for children, after all."
He shrugs lightly. "As to the mystery of these ropes, perhaps some goblins grew curious. What do you think, Lord Chelessfield?"
"Unquestionably. We should remove them, lest temptation beckon the unwary."
As Chelessfield sets to work removing the telltale signs of the invasion of the Well of Night, the Black Prince turns once more to Chary. Bowing, he extends his hand.
"No doubt you will wish to continue awhile in the company of your inamorata. I do not dismiss you from my service - I merely offer you love's respite."
The pair bow once more and return the way they came, turning soon after towards the kennels.
"I think you may well be right, Highness."
Arianwyn smiles at Chary, "That was exhilarating. Now, let's see if we can stop our companions increasingly humourous attempts not to shed light."
He approaches the hiding place of the rest of the party and coughs lightly, "You can re-emerge, o luminescent ones. The way is clear. We are to present the bird to the Queen, but our tale shall be that we rescued it from a foul plot by the Demon Roach. We shall also relate how bravely the Black Prince strove to gain the bird. As ever here, it is more important that none lose face, than that the embarrassing (for both parties) truth be told."
Kia comforts the firebird and assures it that it isn't going back down 'there'. When Arianwyn comes back to them with his tale she is not impressed.
"So we are to tell a lie to make everyone feel good. Well you had better do the talking. You know how accomplished I am at that sort of thing."
She gently asks the bird if it would mind returning to Arianwyn.
Arianwyn sighs.
"Even though to do otherwise would mean expulsion from the Court? And thus no audience with the Queen? You must be as the willow and bend a little." he replies.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're right. I just hate this place. there is nothing real here."
Kia soothes the firebird, her own aura mingling agreeably with the bird's. It seems to understand her perfectly and settles quiescent on her arm until the cavalry, in the unlikely form of a triumphant Chary and Arianwyn arrive to assure the group that the way is clear.
Glowing ever more brightly, the firebird looks at the group that worked to hide it and bows its head in gratitude before returning once more to Arianwyn's extended arm.
"Shall we?" Arianwyn asks, as he indicates the way to the Queen.
As the party make their way towards the audience chamber, their progress is watched with various degrees of shock, awe and horror. Many a goblin simply drops the dishes he was carrying, or gawps open-mouthed. Diplomats, courtiers, and all the panoply of the Courts watch with clearly mixed emotions at the audacity of this approach. The doors of the Royal Audience Chamber open before you and the thousand stairs that lead to the Queen lie ahead.
Although the climb seems endless, at length a cloud strewn floor opens beneath your feet. A fall from here is surely lethal. There are no walls here, merely the arching sky and a throne of lapis lazuli flecked with gold. The occupant is masked by curtain of shadow.
The golden feathers of the firebird do more than merely glow. They paint the very air with gold, turning the nocturnal shades into the bright colours of summer and the Feywild. Everything around the bird seems faded and almost irrelevant, dim wisps compared to the bird's lush shades of fire.
A languid shadow-fey herald waits astounded at the top of the stairs, but stands aside to let the group enter.
"Arianwyn Raven Lord, Kia Rubarka, Lord of Light, Tutavak, Might of Kargzant, Whiteclaw the Bereaved, and the Lady Charitan of his Highness the Black Prince's train desire audience with your Majesty."
Sarastra draws aside the curtain and her eyes grow wide at the sight of the firebird.
Arianwyn bows and, for once, is pretty speechless himself..
He waits to be addressed.
Kia also bows, realising that now is not a good time to demonstrate her dislike of court life.
Tutavak bows precisely as deeply as the least of the others' bows.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're right. I just hate this place. there is nothing real here."
"Was it different among the nomads? It's just more of 'proving' ourselves to people who need our help. I miss Kyleth, she was evil, yes, but at least she was direct. We didn't play games opposing her, we just did what needed to be done."
Whiteclaw snorts a little at the 'title' given to her, but she bows as best she can.
Chary curtsies deeply and elegantly towards the throne.